Chapter 10: The Final Stockpiling

10. Final stockpiling

As soon as he got home, Jiang Rong couldn't wait to turn on the fitness videos he had copied from the gym and start exercising. However, he overlooked one thing: people who haven't received professional training might not feel anything at the time when they suddenly start exercising, but they will experience back pain the next day.

Jiang Rong only tried practicing for a little over an hour, and the next day when she walked, she felt like her body was out of control. Going up the stairs was fine, but going down the stairs felt like tiny knives were stuck between her muscles, and every step was incredibly painful.

No wonder so many people can't survive a major crisis. Many people sitting in offices may look healthy, but they're actually in a state of sub-health. At the slightest sign of trouble, these are the first to fall ill.

Dragging his heavy legs, Jiang Rong climbed into his car. Today he had to go to neighboring Z province to buy daily necessities for himself and his son. The things he had stockpiled before were mostly food; he hadn't had time to stock up on clothes and the like.

Z Province is famous for its textile industry, and Y City has the largest clothing city and small commodity market in the country. If Jiang Rong can buy food from all over the country in his hometown, he can find all kinds of clothes shipped all over the country in Y City.

His main purpose in going there was to buy clothes for Jiang Xiaoheng. His own physique was already set; he wouldn't grow taller, at most he'd gain or lose a little weight. Jiang Xiaoheng was different; he was still growing, and clothes bought now wouldn't fit him in a few months.

He had to buy clothes for Xiao Heng for the future, for all seasons, for all body types, and for all body types, no matter how short or fat.

Besides clothes, there were many other things to buy, from large items like bedding and blankets to small items like needles and thread. If Jiang Rong hadn't done the shopping herself, she would never have realized how many things people need to live a good life.

This will be the most extravagant shopping spree of his life; everything must be more, not less.

In May, the outside temperature was already approaching forty degrees Celsius. Jiang Rong was drenched in sweat as soon as she stepped out of her house. City C has many buildings and little vegetation, and the heat island effect makes the temperature here several degrees higher than in her hometown. Jiang Rong wiped her sweat, looked up at the cloudless sky, and wondered if she should move sooner rather than later.

Just then, Jiang Rong's phone rang. She glanced at it and saw it was a call from the kindergarten teacher. As soon as she answered, the teacher's urgent voice came through, "Jiang Xiaoheng's father, Jiang Xiaoheng just hit a classmate! Are you free right now? Come to our school quickly!"

Jiang Rong paused, then rushed to the daycare center without saying a word.

Jiang Xiaoheng is a very well-behaved child. Since entering the preschool class in the second half of last year, he has been well-liked by his teachers and classmates. Moreover, he has a gentle personality, and Jiang Rong simply doesn't believe he hit someone.

However, that was the reality. Jiang Xiaoheng not only took the initiative but also beat the other person until their head was bleeding. When Jiang Rong rushed to the school, she saw a chubby boy crying desperately, and his parents tried everything to calm him down. Meanwhile, his son sat obediently on a chair to the side with his head down, looking pitiful.

Seeing Jiang Rong enter, the teachers and parents in the office finally found their target. The teacher hurriedly stepped forward, "Jiang Xiaoheng's father, you've finally arrived."

Before the teacher could explain what had happened, the other parent aggressively confronted Jiang Rong: "How do you raise your child? Look what your Jiang Xiaoheng did to my son! His head is bleeding and his nose is throbbing! What are you going to do about it?!"

Jiang Rong glanced at the other parent, then her gaze fell on the chubby boy with tears streaming down his face. The boy had a band-aid on his head, and his mouth and nose were red; combined with his tear-streaked face, he looked quite comical.

Jiang Rong quickly walked past a group of people and squatted down in front of Jiang Xiaoheng. "Xiaoheng, are you injured?" Because of muscle soreness, Jiang Rong swayed when she squatted down and almost fell on her bottom.

Hearing his father's voice, Jiang Xiaoheng slowly raised his head. Seeing his son's face clearly, Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief; at least there were no external injuries. However, out of caution, he still wanted to ask carefully, "Is anywhere on your body painful?"

Before Jiang Rong arrived, Jiang Xiaoheng remained silent, stubbornly keeping his head down no matter what the other parents said to him. Now, seeing his father, his eyes suddenly reddened, and large tears streamed down his face. "Dad, I'm not in pain. But..."

Jiang Xiaoheng couldn't hold back any longer and sobbed as he threw himself into Jiang Rong's arms, "Daddy, Xiao Pang said I don't have a mother, that I was born but not raised! Waaaaah..."

Jiang Xiaoheng cried bitterly, "He said Dad doesn't want me anymore, that I'll have to beg on the streets from now on. Dad, waaaaah, Dad... please don't abandon me..."

The child's cries filled Jiang Rong with guilt. Busy building a house and buying things, Jiang Rong had entrusted the child to Chu Qiang's parents. Although he called and video-chatted with the child every day, the child still didn't feel safe.

Jiang Rong apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, son, Dad has been a bit busy lately and hasn't been able to pick you up. You are Dad's most important family member, and Dad will never abandon you."

As soon as Jiang Xiaoheng spoke, the teacher looked at Xiaopang with a reproachful gaze. The daycare class was originally established for families who didn't have time to care for their children, and many of the children in the class came from single-parent families. The teacher taught the children to be united and friendly every day, but there were always children like Xiaopang who would deliberately rub salt in other people's wounds.

Considering the two children's usual behavior at school, the teacher's tone became a bit harsher, "Ding Xiaopang, the teacher just asked you if you said anything to Jiang Xiaoheng, why didn't you tell the teacher?"

Ding Xiaopang's parents felt somewhat guilty, but seeing how badly their son had been treated, they still couldn't accept it. "Teacher, it's just that our Xiaopang is wrong; he didn't start the fight. Look how badly Jiang Xiaoheng beat him..."

It's normal for kids to roughhouse; there's no need to make a big deal out of it. Besides, my son was the one who started it, so he must have been at a disadvantage. Jiang Rong struggled to her feet, holding her son, and faced the other parents directly. "Little Fatty's parents, the situation is clear. My child started it and was wrong. I apologize on behalf of my son, Jiang Xiaoheng. How about this: you take your child to the hospital for a checkup, and we'll cover the medical expenses. What do you think?"

Seeing that Jiang Rong was agreeable, the other parents went along with it, saying, "We were also at fault in this matter. Okay, we'll do it your way."

The matter was perfectly resolved, and Ding Xiaopang's parents took their child to the hospital. Jiang Xiaoheng was still nestled in Jiang Rong's arms, his head resting on his father's shoulder, unwilling to leave.

The teacher smiled and reached out to hug Jiang Xiaoheng, "Okay, Xiaoheng, Little Fatty is fine now. Shall we continue with class?"

Just as the teacher's hand was about to touch Jiang Xiaoheng, Jiang Rong took a step back to avoid the teacher. He calmly said, "Teacher, Xiaoheng is not in a good state. I'll take him home first, and we can talk about it after he calms down, okay? If Xiaopang's parents send me the medical bill, please forward it to me."

After leaving the daycare, Jiang Xiaoheng felt a little better. He hugged Jiang Rong's neck and rubbed against his father's chest like a clingy puppy, "Daddy, aren't you going to scold me?"

Jiang Rong asked in surprise, "Why did they scold you?"

Jiang Xiaoheng pouted, "I hit Xiaopang. Good kids shouldn't hit people. I even made Dad apologize to Xiaopang..."

Jiang Rong tugged at her son's leg and smiled, "I don't know what other people's good children are like, I only know that my Xiao Heng is very good. Dad hopes that you can protect yourself when you encounter problems in the future, that's enough."

After a pause, Jiang Rong finally asked the question that had been on his mind, "By the way, son, let me ask you something. Little Fatty is tall and strong, how did you beat him?"

Jiang Xiaoheng blinked and whispered, "When he's not paying attention, hit him with a toy. Make sure the first hit hurts him. Only if it hurts him a lot will he be unable to beat me."

Jiang Rong paused for a moment, the words sounding somewhat familiar. Then Jiang Xiaoheng added, "That's what they said on TV yesterday."

Jiang Rong: ...

Yesterday, he turned on a kickboxing video and practiced in front of the TV while his son sat next to him playing with the dog. He was so engrossed in his practice that he didn't notice his son's bright eyes were also glued to the TV. To his utter surprise, he, the father, learned nothing and was even exhausted, while his son was already putting it into practice.

Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated. "That's good." In the past, he would have definitely taken the opportunity to lecture his son, telling him to reason with him and not to use violence. But now he felt that his son needed this concept to adapt to life after the major crisis.

After thinking it through, Jiang Rong carried his son to the car. "Come on, son, Dad will take you to Z Province. We'll go home first to pick up Lele." Previously, for the sake of his son's health and the progress of the project, he had to leave the child in C City. Now that the house is built and the basement has supplies for a place to live, his pressure is not so great anymore.

He's confident he can take care of his son now, ensuring his son's health. The remaining time is one of the few times his son can safely see the world, and he wants to take advantage of this opportunity to stock up on supplies to travel around the area.

Jiang Xiaoheng was overjoyed: "Dad! Are you taking me on a business trip? Yay!"

Jiang Rong placed her son in the child seat and patiently fastened the seatbelt. "Yes, Daddy will take you shopping. After we come back, we'll move!"

Jiang Xiaoheng happily raised his hands, "Yay!"

Author's Note:

When I was little, I had to go to kindergarten in the next village. There was a chubby kid in the next village who always bullied me, thinking I was from the next village and constantly causing trouble. Later, I couldn't take it anymore and beat him up, making his nose bleed.

His grandma came to the kindergarten demanding an explanation, but the teacher helped smooth things over. Then, his dad took him home, and on the way home, the cat said sadly, "Dad, I don't want to go to kindergarten anymore."

Dad, riding his bicycle ahead, huffed and puffed: "Hmm? Why? It's nothing, it's just beating someone up. It's okay if you lose, Dad will teach you how to beat someone up when we get home."

Old Cat: Because the teacher doesn't sing as well as Dad.

The cat dad was happy: Okay, then we won't go.

Not long after, Cat Dad sent Old Cat to elementary school. Her first elementary school teacher was Cat Dad's classmate. Later, I found out that Cat Dad told my teacher: "My daughter is wild, so you need to teach her some manners. Don't go easy on me."

Looking back now, being a parent is quite difficult. If you protect your kids, you're afraid they'll get taken advantage of. If you don't protect them, you're afraid they'll cause trouble.